Louis Tomlinson, 24, Doncaster, England.
Louis' mom, Johannah, had him as a teenager and raised him nearly on her own. Louis also has six siblings, Lottie, Felicite, Phoebe, Daisy, Ernest, and Doris. When he was 18, he auditioned for the X Factor in England and that was that. Johannah had said in the documentary movie, "This Is Us," that he left for the X Factor and never came home. He had made it. One thing that had been clear since he burst on the scene with One Direction was that his mom was his go to girl. She was the most important woman in his life and for that, he was instantly someone I would go on to admire so greatly.
Louis, being the oldest member of One Direction, never lost his goofyness in all of the madness that came along with being in the most popular boy band at the time. He stayed humble and true to who he was. In that, he and his mom did heaps of charity work supporting organizations like Believe In Magic and Eden Dora Trust. Every opportunity he had, he gave back. He and his mom worked tirelessly to put on the Believe In Magic ball as well as just simply donating time, money, gifts, etc. to various families around the UK. His passion, along with singing, producing, performing, he truly was passionate about helping others. Watching him be so passionate about helping others solidified my adoration of this man from Doncaster, England. He and his mom inspired me to continue to desire to do charity work and that it's not something to ever be ashamed of wanting to do.
On December 7th, Louis' mom Johannah lost a battle to Leukemia. It had been reported on the 9th that she had been diagnosed earlier this year in May and the family decided to keep it private so they could focus on Johannah's health. Knowing how close he and his mom were, my heart instantly broke especially having experienced the loss of my father just six months earlier. As someone who's looked up to and adored Louis for the last nearly five years, I was absolutely heartbroken for him. In a way, it's as if he's invincible and life doesn't happen for our favorite celebrities. This proved they are not exempt from tragic events.
Three days after his mom passed, Louis got on stage where it all started for him and sang a song he had written with Steve Aoki in honor of him mom. The song, titled "Just Hold On," is upbeat with powerful lyrics. His mom had looked forward to the premiere of his song and her last wish was for him to go on and still perform the song. His bandmates, Liam Payne, Harry Styles, and Niall Horan (who flew overnight from New York to be there) were all there along with Louis' family and closest friends. Watching him perform this song, just days after he lost his best friend and mom was the most inspiring thing I've ever seen. He amazed me with his strength and bravery to get in front of thousands, even millions, and performed such an important song. This was another moment where I looked at Louis with incredible adoration and respect.
Louis Tomlinson is one of the nicest, most humble people I've ever had the privilege of meeting. He does so much for others and has never, ever lost who he was. He's someone that the world needs to pay attention to. He's one of a kind and deserves the world.
